SP2 Continuing Environmental Police Missions

Poaching of protected species

On April 21, 2020 at around 2pm at Galion, a guard of the Réserve Naturelle surprises two individuals coming out of the water with masks snorkels, and fins, and heading toward a vehicle. The guard reminded them that swimming is prohibited during confinement and fishing is also forbidden in the waters of the Réserve. He then backed off, but with the intention of coming back to the site. A few minutes later, he saw the two men running toward him, each with a large bag in his hand, and split off into two different directions. The guard called the gendarmerie, where no one was available to help, but a territorial police car arrived just in time to give him a hand. He caught one of the fugitives hiding in the mangrove, without the bag, and turned him over to the police, and then found the bag a little later, Inside were 36 conch already removed from their shells, two red helmet shells still alive and a giant triton also alive. The man admitted to having caught these protected species and provided his identity as well as that of his accomplice. A report has been sent to the prosecutor and the two poach will be called before the judge, not only for having caught these protected species, but having done so in the waters of the Réserve Naturelle. The guard put the living shellfish back in the water as well as the dead conch, in two different places in the bay.